• Question: what if i exchanged brains with someone else what would happen?

    Asked by livmarshall to Tim, Suzi, Simon, Rachael, Damien on 20 Jun 2011. This question was also asked by pleahy97.
    • Photo: Tim Fosker

      Tim Fosker answered on 20 Jun 2011:

      Hi @livmarshall and @pleahy97

      That is a really interesting question and no one knows, but if we imagine it was possible then we could guess at a couple of things that are likely to happen.
      (1) You would have the same thoughts and memories that you had in your own body.
      (2) You would be very clumsy at first. Your brain develops an ability to know where parts of your body are in space called ‘proprioception’, if you changed bodies with someone who was much taller for example your brain is likely to miscalculate where parts of your body are in relation to other parts, so clapping could be a problem at first. However you could use your new vision in your new body to help re-train your brain.

      These are two I can think of, the other scientists may be able to think of more.

    • Photo: Suzi Gage

      Suzi Gage answered on 20 Jun 2011:

      Hi @livmarshall and @pleahy97
      I think Tim’s answer is probably correct. But I don’t think it’ll happen any time soon.

      What do you think would happen if you were put in an old person’s body? Or in a body of a person of the opposite sex? I’m not sure your brain would be able to cope in a vastly different body to the one it’s meant to control!

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